Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Raspberry Baby Dress

Burda Baby Dress

This is a gift for a tiny relative in Canada. Since her older brother is dressed rather conservatively, I went with a classic style and details, but couldn't resist this bright raspberry cotton! I love the color and the fabric is wonderfully soft to the touch, especially after pre-washing.

The pattern is #145 from the July 2012 issue of Burdastyle. The skirt combines pleats and gathers, just like my Moneta dress :)
I skipped the sleeves because I wasn't sure they would be comfortable.
I cut a 68, which is supposed to be a size 6 months, but it seems big to me. I have no baby around to verify the size, so we'll see how that works out.

The tone-on-tone embroidery detail was done by machine with a wing-tipped needle, which punches tiny holes as it sews. This was my first time using it and it's a bit scary, because you couldn't take those holes out if it didn't work out! I like the result though.
I lined the bodice in the same fabric, so all seam allowances are enclosed. This should be more comfortable for the baby. To do this, I simply traced the bodice without the facing and cut 2 identical pieces, so it's lined to the edge.

I sewed the bodice using a variety of techniques from Connie Long's "Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses" I used the chapters on sewing a lined vest and sewing a collar stand (I treated the bodice as the collar stand, or to be more specific, I attached the bodice to the skirt the same way she attaches a collar stand to the body of a shirt). I know I've mentioned this book many times before, but I find it indispensable! Thanks to these techniques, I was able to sew it all without any hand stitching. The only things that are sewn by hand in this dress are the buttons and snaps. Not that I dislike hand stitching necessarily, but I always prefer to go with the most hassle free option.

I turned under the front facing in the skirt portion and stitched it down. Burda has you leave it open. Why? I could imagine tiny kicking feet getting caught in the folds, poor thing! I think Burda pattern makers have to churn out so many styles every month, they aren't always able to think through the practical aspects. It's something I've noticed before with Burda magazine patterns...

18 comments:

too cute for words!i made this dress twice, in size 80 (had to google baby sizes for 1 year olds hehe, casue i have no idea how big babies are).. it's a cute little pattern, my go to one when it comes to sewing gifts for little bably girls :) like the sleeveless version (i made both dresses with sleves)

It's both beautiful and thoughtful! I love the piercing detail - so simple and clever. A lovely gift! I have Connie long's lining book (on my ipad) and it's fantastic so I would imagine her other books are equally as useful.

Sara, this is so sweet!! I love that vivid colour and the lucky recipient is sure to be pleased AND look adorable too :)I picked your name as the winner of the Fashionary measuring tape in my giveaway, could you please contact me at csmith (dot) australia (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and I will send it to you directly. Thanks :)